What Should I Buy with Dark Tint

Bob88884

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I had to rethink my expectations. What do you guys recommend, based on my wants and limitations?
Based on my tint, it looks as though a front-facing or maybe a front, with an interior view, is the best I can hope for.

Issues
1-Windshield -50% tint with a six-inch strip of 5% tint at the top.
2-Driver & Passenger glass is 15% tint
3-Rear passenger glass 5% tint
4-Rear glass 5%

Wants
1- 4k
2- small
3-LTE with cloud storage
4- No screen necessary, as I will use my phone or computer.
 
Most if not all have the option for EV tuning for each channel to compensate for tint.
If you use a CPL filter, you can get rainbow distortions with some films, instead of running a CPL you can just use a flat black dash mat.
ATM i run two dual 4K systems in my car, the 70mai T800 and the Vantrue S1pro max, out of those two with low light plate capture the vantrue is the best, the vantrue however do not have a interior camera but the T800 do have that.
Both 4G able, and i am / have tested that on both.
Also both small ( there is not really any LARGE dashcams, but you might have a layout on the windscreen where one form factor would be more desirable than the other )

Today most also have screens, but most can be set to turn off almost instantly, one should not run with the screen on all the time, those people are posers.
 
Most if not all have the option for EV tuning for each channel to compensate for tint.
If you use a CPL filter, you can get rainbow distortions with some films, instead of running a CPL you can just use a flat black dash mat.
ATM i run two dual 4K systems in my car, the 70mai T800 and the Vantrue S1pro max, out of those two with low light plate capture the vantrue is the best, the vantrue however do not have a interior camera but the T800 do have that.
Both 4G able, and i am / have tested that on both.
Also both small ( there is not really any LARGE dashcams, but you might have a layout on the windscreen where one form factor would be more desirable than the other )

Today most also have screens, but most can be set to turn off almost instantly, one should not run with the screen on all the time, those people are posers.
I was reading in another thread about tint; the guy had to cut a hole in his tint where the lens was. Based on that information, I decided to just use the front camera, since my front windshield tint is much lighter. After reading your post, it looks like I may be able to go back to what I wanted to begin with. As for the rainbow, I did have a lady riding with me with her sunshades on. She commented that she was seeing rainbows; my shades don't do that.
So do you think that Vantrue and the mai will have enough adjustment to work with my level of tint?
 
I have no personal experience with tint in cars, while it is legal in Denmark even to what ever tint level, it is only allowed on rear side windows and the rear window.
You can absolutely not have any aftermarket tint on windscreen or front doors.
You can also not lower or lift your car very much, we talk mm here, and you can not increase engine output very much, chip tuning ASO are not allowed, and a after market exhaust can only be 90 Db MAX even if you can buy a brand new Italian sports car that is +120 Db from the factory.

But most cameras have a +/- 2 EV steps, and i can not say i recall anyone thinking it was not enough, it would at least be better than nothing or having to cut a hole cuz even with the lens right up against the glass they are very wide angle and so you would actually have to cut a pretty large hole.
My rear cameras in a little JAP 5 door Hatch where the rear window is pretty much vertical, at night i can see reflections of oncoming cars headlights as they are about to pass by me.

This is a compilation of night plate capture with my vantrue, mind you using high beam angled down as much as i can, CUZ with the regular light my car do not throw light into oncoming lane more than a little in front of me, and a little bit more is needed.
So have to " cheat " with the high beams.
Do remember EU plates have much larger lettering then US plates, and of course no funny / silly secondary graphics on the plate.


This is also without a CPL filter as these actually also block a little light, i have a DIY dashmat in my little car as that is of course not made for a little marginal car not selling very much.
Do not look good, but then again i drive car to not walk or risk one of the too many fellow dumb ass Danes getting in my face in public transport.

You can always do a test in the car by just pulling rear camera and wire strait thru the cabin and then hold it up to the rear window, and then see what you get during daytime and night time, i would test with 0 EV change and +1 and +2 both night and day to gauge if one maybe overexposed in the daytime.

My little car have mirror come off roof and so nothing on the windscreen, so i can have 2 smaller cameras hidden in front of the mirror and not see it, and in the old days with single channel systems some times i have had a whopping 5 systems side by side on the windscreen.
But that is a cheap ass 2012 car, if you have a sensor island that take up much if not all of the optimal place ( high and center of windscreen ) you have to mount below it, some even mound the camera off the sensor housing for often pretty darn stealthy installs.
Or you can mount offset, usually to the passenger side, this als work but you do have to offset quite a bit to not have any of the sensor island in the footage.
As always nice to do tests with the camera held up to interesting places to see what look / feel best.
Offset to a side, due to windscreens being curved you will of course be filming a little sideways, but with the wide angle lenses in use, it is not like you be missing much.

I often do these tests even if i am quite sure where the system will go, i have a 3" or so wide dotted area on top of my windscreen and i prefer to mount on that so the lens peek out below, but i have at times been a little high and so with lens aimed correct with a 50/50 split at the horizon i have had a little of that dotted area in the footage.
But after well over a decade little things like that do not bother me
 
My state restricts the tint level. A windshield can have a six-inch strip of tint at the top, but nothing else. I have 35% all over on mine, with a six-inch strip at 5%
Driver and passenger windows can be no more than 35%; I have 15%. Oddly, an SUV can be as dark as you want behind the driver, but a sedan can't be more than 35% anywhere. I have 15% driver and passenger, and 5% elsewhere, including the sunroof at 5%. Do you have any experience with BlackVue? Their website talks a good game, but the price is high. I am thinking I might get a waterproof rear camera and mount it in the front grill. I haven't seen any waterproof front cameras. Have you had, or have you seen, anyone try that?
 
...As for the rainbow, I did have a lady riding with me with her sunshades on. She commented that she was seeing rainbows; my shades don't do that.
It only happens with polarized lenses.
 
No i have never sampled a Blackvue system, but it is a recognised Korean brand.
They have been struggling on image quality ( by no means bad ), but leading on smarts like 4G ASO, but their newer lines seem to mitigate this.

The user @Vortex Radar have extended experience with the brand.

I like the option is there for waterproof external cameras, but they do have a drawback, as they are outside they are suspect to crud buildup that will effect image quality, i am myself glad both front and rear cameras have wiper coverage in my little car.

Really running dashcams you can not run a too tight ship in regard to window cleaning inside and out, even inside and even if you are not a sucker of any kind of smoke, you be amazed how much stuff find its way to the glass.

I am myself a big fan of systems where all the cameras are remote on a wire from the main box you can then make any size to house any form of cooling and storage solution, and of course hide in your car.
But almost no brand have dared to make such a system, and those that did had problems selling them as somehow people tell them self that they are harder to install, which i do not think is the case having tried 2 such systems back in the day.
 
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No i have never sampled a Blackvue system, but it is a recognised Korean brand.
They have been struggling on image quality ( by no means bad ), but leading on smarts like 4G ASO, but their newer lines seem to mitigate this.

The user @Vortex Radar have extended experience with the brand.

I like the option is there for waterproof external cameras, but they do have a drawback, as they are outside they are suspect to crud buildup that will effect image quality, i am myself glad both front and rear cameras have wiper coverage in my little car.

Really running dashcams you can not run a too tight ship in regard to window cleaning inside and out, even inside and even if you are not a sucker of any kind of smoke, you be amazed how much stuff find its way to the glass.

I am myself a big fan of systems where all the cameras are remote on a wire from the main box you can then make any size to house any form of cooling and storage solution, and of course hide in your car.
But almost no brand have dared to make such a system, and those that did had problems selling them as somehow people tell them self that they are harder to install, which i do not think is the case having tried 2 such systems back in the day.

No i have never sampled a Blackvue system, but it is a recognised Korean brand.
They have been struggling on image quality ( by no means bad ), but leading on smarts like 4G ASO, but their newer lines seem to mitigate this.

The user @Vortex Radar have extended experience with the brand.

I like the option is there for waterproof external cameras, but they do have a drawback, as they are outside they are suspect to crud buildup that will effect image quality, i am myself glad both front and rear cameras have wiper coverage in my little car.

Really running dashcams you can not run a too tight ship in regard to window cleaning inside and out, even inside and even if you are not a sucker of any kind of smoke, you be amazed how much stuff find its way to the glass.

I am myself a big fan of systems where all the cameras are remote on a wire from the main box you can then make any size to house any form of cooling and storage solution, and of course hide in your car.
But almost no brand have dared to make such a system, and those that did had problems selling them as somehow people tell them self that they are harder to install, which i do not think is the case having tried 2 such systems back in the day.
BlackVue offers a couple of models with a box that can be mounted out of sight. That is one of the things I like about their systems. I usually go through the car wash a couple of times a week, so the outside glass stays fairly clean. I don't smoke, and aside from going through a drive-thru, I never open my windows, so my inside glass stays fairly clean. If I can get something to work with my tint, I will be good.
 
With a NO AC car i have windows open a lot in the summer half of the year.
I have flat rate car wash costing me 18 USD / MO so at least some days my car will get washed 2 times a day. But at least 3 times a week.
The wax though, that you can clean off the windows, well front and rear at least.

I tagged in Vortex radar ( he is also called that on his youtube channel ) so he will probably chime in on Blackvue.

Too bad you are not around here, or you could get one of my old systems to play around with in regard to that tint, but it is a mighty long swim to the US, and i might be on a no fly list depending on how thin skinned the boys in that black cube in Maryland are. NOT like i have a criminal record.
When i was making my living on the high seas the US embassy stamped the hell out of my passport so i could pretty much come and go as i pleased, but of course this was in the early 90ties.
It a new time since then, and a even newer time lately.
 
For the Blackvue, you can always consider the DR970X Plus Box, but personally I'm holding out hoping they make an Elite series of the Box given how much of an improvement there is with that line.

The DR970X Plus series is a bit lacking in terms of video quality, both with the front 4K cam, and the rear 1080p potato cam. The front cam is smaller than other standalone models, but the rear cam is actually bigger than others given the tamper-proof case mount design.

There were also some parking mode issues with the Box that we don't see in the traditional DR970X Plus. I don't remember off the top of my head if those issues have been resolved. It also draws more power than the regular DR970X Plus series.

If you want a compact 4K dashcam with LTE support, it's one that should be on the short list. You can also look into options like the Thinkware U3000 Pro, 70mai T800, and others. Vantrue has/had an LTE module, but it looks like it's been pulled for the time being. I'm not sure when they're going to resume selling their LTE module.
 
With a NO AC car i have windows open a lot in the summer half of the year.
I have flat rate car wash costing me 18 USD / MO so at least some days my car will get washed 2 times a day. But at least 3 times a week.
The wax though, that you can clean off the windows, well front and rear at least.

I tagged in Vortex radar ( he is also called that on his youtube channel ) so he will probably chime in on Blackvue.

Too bad you are not around here, or you could get one of my old systems to play around with in regard to that tint, but it is a mighty long swim to the US, and i might be on a no fly list depending on how thin skinned the boys in that black cube in Maryland are. NOT like i have a criminal record.
When i was making my living on the high seas the US embassy stamped the hell out of my passport so i could pretty much come and go as i pleased, but of course this was in the early 90ties.
It a new time since then, and a even newer time lately.
You never know how those guys are going to react. I can't swim, so that would be out. That would be ideal if I could find someone with a spare to play with. I have the flat-rate car wash as well; it is $48 per month, which includes wash, wax, Rain-X, ceramic, etc. If all that is worth it, I don't know. My thinking is that when the ceramic is applied each time, maybe some of it will stay. As far as you having a car without A/C, that statement has traumatized me. I may need to take Xanax and a nap. Do I need to start a GoFundMe account for you?
 
For the Blackvue, you can always consider the DR970X Plus Box, but personally I'm holding out hoping they make an Elite series of the Box given how much of an improvement there is with that line.

The DR970X Plus series is a bit lacking in terms of video quality, both with the front 4K cam, and the rear 1080p potato cam. The front cam is smaller than other standalone models, but the rear cam is actually bigger than others given the tamper-proof case mount design.

There were also some parking mode issues with the Box that we don't see in the traditional DR970X Plus. I don't remember off the top of my head if those issues have been resolved. It also draws more power than the regular DR970X Plus series.

If you want a compact 4K dashcam with LTE support, it's one that should be on the short list. You can also look into options like the Thinkware U3000 Pro, 70mai T800, and others. Vantrue has/had an LTE module, but it looks like it's been pulled for the time being. I'm not sure when they're going to resume selling their LTE module.
I had my choices narrowed down until someone mentioned tint, something I hadn't thought about. At that point, I backed up and started over. I really liked the box set-up from BlackVue, but I was also hoping they would do an upgraded box unit. The mia70 T-800 was on my list as well. I am not sure if you saw my post about trying to use a waterproof rear camera, mounted behind my front grill. That would eliminate my tint issue.
 
I had my choices narrowed down until someone mentioned tint, something I hadn't thought about. At that point, I backed up and started over. I really liked the box set-up from BlackVue, but I was also hoping they would do an upgraded box unit. The mia70 T-800 was on my list as well. I am not sure if you saw my post about trying to use a waterproof rear camera, mounted behind my front grill. That would eliminate my tint issue.
It's very common to mount dashcams behind tint, particularly for rear cams. They adjust their exposure accordingly, same as they do when you're driving at night.

Is there an issue using a windshield mounted dashcam and installing it such that it peeks out just underneath the tint strip? There's also the Blendmount which attaches to your RVM and is compatible with Blackvues too (not other brands though unfortunately).

Wolfbox sells a G900 TriPro with a second front facing cam that's specifically designed to be installed in the front bumper. It's intended for off-road usage, but you can use it to double up on the dashcam besides the primary one built into their RVM.
 
I cant swim either, but for a while i still made my living on the high seas, i use to say i can stay afloat for a few minutes, and never seen anyone that could not out swim me.
At one time to pass a course i had to jump out from high up to pass a course, and i have never even dome the 3 M board at a pool only 1 M.
Fortunately wearing survival suit i popped up like a cork, and for the next half hour or so i jumped many times.

AC in cars are not really needed in Denmark, that is Canada north on the globe, you also only find very few private residences with aircon here, businesses / factories ASO sure, but not private homes.

If Denmark get two 30 deg C days during summer it is a good summer, two such days in a row are almost unheard of.

I am living off a pension, but i manage even filling my car with +9 USD/ gal gasoline at the moment. Also manage to save in piggy bank and in the bank too.


Do remember that just a single front camera, it dokument all you do, so already there even someone doing stupid behind you, well the front camera will at least be able to prove that NO you did not suddenly change lane or NO you did not suddenly slam on the brake.
So you can always get a single camera on the cheap to get your feet wet, you dont really need to have the idiot that plow into your rear on actual video, the front camera have you merrily driving along and then BAM, so clearly not your fault no matter what the 4 home boys in the other car claim.
 
I cant swim either, but for a while i still made my living on the high seas, i use to say i can stay afloat for a few minutes, and never seen anyone that could not out swim me.
At one time to pass a course i had to jump out from high up to pass a course, and i have never even dome the 3 M board at a pool only 1 M.
Fortunately wearing survival suit i popped up like a cork, and for the next half hour or so i jumped many times.

AC in cars are not really needed in Denmark, that is Canada north on the globe, you also only find very few private residences with aircon here, businesses / factories ASO sure, but not private homes.

If Denmark get two 30 deg C days during summer it is a good summer, two such days in a row are almost unheard of.

I am living off a pension, but i manage even filling my car with +9 USD/ gal gasoline at the moment. Also manage to save in piggy bank and in the bank too.


Do remember that just a single front camera, it dokument all you do, so already there even someone doing stupid behind you, well the front camera will at least be able to prove that NO you did not suddenly change lane or NO you did not suddenly slam on the brake.
So you can always get a single camera on the cheap to get your feet wet, you dont really need to have the idiot that plow into your rear on actual video, the front camera have you merrily driving along and then BAM, so clearly not your fault no matter what the 4 home boys in the other car claim.
I agree that something is better than nothing. I was thinking about getting a cheap camera, just to play with, then I can decide what I need and want. $9 gas, wow, I knew that gas was high over there, as in everywhere but here. As far as the A/C goes, if you mention not having it one more time, you need to send me a handful of Xanax, as I can't get a prescription big enough to overcome this trauma. I would think that even if the temp doesn't get very high, being in a closed car with the sun shining would make it hot inside. Plus, you told me tint wasn't allowed, so that alone would raise the temp. All jokes aside, I am one of those guys who likes their temp to be consistent. I set the thermostat to 70°F in my car and house, and I expect it to stay at that temp, whether it needs heat or A/C. Mr. Vortex has given me a lot of great information.
 
It's very common to mount dashcams behind tint, particularly for rear cams. They adjust their exposure accordingly, same as they do when you're driving at night.

Is there an issue using a windshield mounted dashcam and installing it such that it peeks out just underneath the tint strip? There's also the Blendmount which attaches to your RVM and is compatible with Blackvues too (not other brands though unfortunately).

Wolfbox sells a G900 TriPro with a second front facing cam that's specifically designed to be installed in the front bumper. It's intended for off-road usage, but you can use it to double up on the dashcam besides the primary one built into their RVM.
Thank you for all this great information. I am going to check out those mounts.
 
You may be overthinking things a bit. Back 10 years ago I had a vehicle with very dark rear glass and had no issues with the camera getting decent exposure. (keep in mind this is from 10 years ago and camera technology is much improved since then. Also there can be significant differences between brands.)

This post shows how dark the glass was and a video sample with a DIY polarizing filter attached.

 
Do note the SG9665GC in that video is based on a generations ( plural ) old sensor, current sensors are much better.
So yeah even with real dark tint i am sure you can get a Ok view of what go on back there, but of course you are probably not going to capture any plates at speed at night.

If you pick up a single to play with just be sure it have a IMX 675 ( 1440p resolution ) or IMX 678 ( 4K ) sensor, this is also what is in current top of the line systems.
When you feel ready to upgrade you can pass the single on to someone you care for, and enjoy the pleasure of giving.
 
You may be overthinking things a bit. Back 10 years ago I had a vehicle with very dark rear glass and had no issues with the camera getting decent exposure. (keep in mind this is from 10 years ago and camera technology is much improved since then. Also there can be significant differences between brands.)

This post shows how dark the glass was and a video sample with a DIY polarizing filter attached.

You are probably right about me overthinking it. Someone on a different thread was talking about their tint being an issue, which, of course, caused me to start.
Attached are a couple of pictures of my tint with white paper taped.
 

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